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(No Model.)v

G. E. TAYLOR.

MACHINE FOR WORKING CLAY, &c. No 595,357. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

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W QW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. TAYLOR, OF AUSTIN, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FAY R.SMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR WORKING CLAY, 8w.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 595,357, datedDecember 14, 1897.

Application filed October 15, 1896.

To all whom, it flea/y concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United. States,residing at Austin, in the county of Mower and State of Minnesota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for WorkingClay andSeparating Objectionable Matter Therefrom; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines for working clay and separatingobjectionable matter therefrom.

The object is to produce a machine which will thoroughly and effectivelywork and mix clay and at the same time separate therefrom objectionablematter, such as stones, lime, or the like; furthermore, to produce amachine which will reduce the clay to a uniform temper and size, therebyfitting it to take moisture readily; furthermore, to provide a machinein which the operating mechanism will be so constructed and arranged aseffectually to prevent objectionable matter being'caught and held in themachine, thereby obviating danger or derangement or breakage of theparts.

With these objects in View the invention consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts of a clay-working machine, as willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like letters 'of reference indicate corresponding parts, I haveillustrated a form of embodiment of my invention, although it is to beunderstood that other forms of embodiment maybe employed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the same, and in the drawings Figure 1 is aview in perspective showing the machine as it appears when set up foruse. Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation displaying more particularly thegate through which stones and other refuse matter may be removed fromthe machine. Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of one of the grate-ringsremoved from the machine, showing the knife or cutter in operativeposition with relation thereto. Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation of theSerial No. 609,002. (No model.)

bottom portion of one of the grate-rings. Fig. 5 is a detail view inperspective of one of the knives or cutters.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the cylinder or body of themachine, the same being composed of any number of grate-rings a,arranged at any desired distance apart, the

spaces between these rings when assembled 6o determining the degree offineness or coarseness of the'clay when worked. These grateringscomprise each a circular body portion a and two Wings or projections aperforated vertically, as at a*, and through these perforations extendbolts a for securing the rings in position upon a supporting-frame B,consisting, essentially, of side pieces I) and legs or supports 12 Thegrate-rings are the same size in cross-section from the top to a pointsaid heads also serving to prevent the escape of clay from the ends ofthe machine. Upon this shaft are mounted the knives or cutters E, whichare disposed in this instance at about an angle of ninety degrees withrelation to each other and are constructed in such manner as toconstitute at once cutters, transmitters, and cleaners, as willpresently appear. Each cutter is provided with a hub-like portion 6, tobe secured to the shaft in any suitable manner, as by a key, and with apro- 0 jection 6 approximately a rightangle triangle in cross-sectionand constituting the cutter proper, the same being beveled on one sideonly to form the transmitting or forcing portion and terminating in thecutting edge,

which curves outward and merges into a shoulder or offset 6 constitutinga cleaner which is adapted to work between the rings and keep theopposed faces thereof free from any accumulation of clay, this shoulderalso 109 subserving the further function of removing small gravel orstones that may lodge between the rings. The beveled faces of thecutters are disposed toward the discharge end of the machine and byworking against the body of clayimpart a longitudinal movement thereto,thereby operating to present the clay progressively to the cutters as itis moved along, resulting in its complete and effective separation andmixing. lVhen the clay has been reduced to the proper degree offineness, or when it is thoroughly worked, it will pass through thegrate-meshes on the lower side of the cylinder, the larger stones andother refuse remaining within the cylinder. After the machine hasoperated for a certain time a gate F at the discharge end of thecylinder is opened and this refuse is removed. This gate may be of anypreferred construction and in this instance comprises a circular platemounted for movement on the end of the shaft and provided with asemicircular opening through which the refuse from the cylinder may beremoved, a handle or lever f being provided for turning the gate toprevent the escape of clay. The rear head C is provided with an openingcorresponding to the opening of the gate and registering therewith whenthe lever is in the position shown in full lines in Fig; 2; but when thelever is moved to the position indicated in dotted lines in the saidfigure the opening in the is engaged by a pinion g on the drive-shaft G,the latter being provided with a pulley g driven from any suitablesource of power.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The clay, as dug from abank, is fed into the machine through a hopper H and thence into thebody of the cylinder, the gate being closed. As soon as the shaft Dbegins to revolve the cutters commence immediately to break upthe clay,the beveled faces thereof forcing it toward the rear of themachine, sothat the clay is thoroughly broken and mixed by the action of thesuccessive knives, the oifset 6 serving to keep the spaces between therings clear of any obstruction that would hinder the escape of the clay.When discharged from the machine, the clay will befound to be thoroughlyand evenly mixed and cleared from all objectionable matter.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire'to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine for working clay, comprising a plurality of grate-rin gs, ashaft located within the rings, a plurality of cutters carried by theshaft, each cutter having a portion adapted to work between the saidrings and an inclined face for'imparting longitudinal movement to theclay, a hopper at one end-0f the machine, and a discharge-gate at theopposite end, substantially as described.

2. A machine for working clay, comprising aplurality of grate-rill gs, ashaft located within the rings, a plurality of cutters carried by theshaft, each cutter having its outer end adapted to work between thegrate-rings and its intermediate portion beveled on one side, a hopperat one end of the machine, and a discharge-gate at the'opposite end,substantially as described.

3. A machine for Working clay, comprising a plurality of grate-ringsrigidly supported upon a frame, a head arranged at each end of the frameand closing the end grate-rings, a shaft j ournaled' in the heads andlocated within the grate-rin gs, knives or cutters carried by the shaftand having their outer ends adapted to work between the grate-rings andtheir intermediate'portions to constitute, at once,cutters andtransmitters, a hopper at one end of the machine, and a discharge-gateat the opposite end, substantially as described.

4. A machine for working clay, comprising a plurality of grate-ringssupported upon a suitable frame and having their lower portions reduced,heads for closing the end graterings, one of said heads being providedwith an escape-opening, a shaft journaledin the heads'and' locatedwithin the grate-rings, a

plurality of knives or cutters carried by the shaft, and having theirextremities adapted to work between the grate-rings and their in'-termediate-portions formed to constitutecutters and transmitters, ahopper at one end of the machine, and a gateloosely mounted on theshaft, and having an opening adapted,

when in one position; to register'with the openingin the head atthe'dischargeend'of the machine, and,when moved to another position, toclose'th'e said opening, substantially as described.

5; As a new article of manufacture, a cutter for clay-working machines,comprising a' hub and a'blade, the outer extremity of the-latter beingsubstantially rectangular in crosssection, and the intermediate portionapproximately' a right-angle triangle in cross-sectionthat is to say,having one flat'face and i one beveled face, substantially as described.In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. GEORGE E. TAYLOR. \Vitnesses:

FAY W. GREENMAN, R. J. DowDALL.

